ETF comparison

VUSA vs CSPX

Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing
IE00B3XXRP09Vanguard
iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF
IE00B5BMR087iShares
Figures as of September 30, 2026 (VUSA) · October 1, 2026 (CSPX)

The comparison in short

VUSA (Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing, IE00B3XXRP09) and CSPX (iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF, IE00B5BMR087) both track the S&P 500 index. VUSA and CSPX have the same total expense ratio (TER), 0.07% a year. CSPX is the larger fund, with USD 159.1bn in assets against USD 88.97bn for VUSA, about 1.8 times the size. VUSA reports 512 holdings and CSPX 505. 8 of the holdings published by VUSA (top 10) and CSPX (top 10) appear in both lists; measured on those published positions only, the overlap is at least 35.9%. Shared holdings include NVIDIA Corp., Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.. In 2025, VUSA and CSPX both returned +17.6%. Over 10 years, VUSA returned +15.0% a year and CSPX +15.0% a year. CSPX reinvests its income (accumulating), while VUSA pays it out (distributing). VUSA and CSPX both hold the index securities directly (physical replication). Both are domiciled in Ireland. VUSA and CSPX both carry a risk indicator (SRRI) of 4 on the 1–7 scale. This is a factual comparison from the fund houses' documents, not investment advice.

Side by side

FigureVUSACSPX
ISINIE00B3XXRP09IE00B5BMR087
Exchange tickersVUSA, VUSDCSPX, SXR8, CSSPX
Fund houseVanguardiShares
Total expense ratio (TER)0.07%0.07%
Ongoing charges (KID)0.07%0.07%
Fund sizeUSD 88.97bnUSD 159.1bn
Launch dateMay 22, 2012May 19, 2010
ReplicationPhysicalPhysical
DomicileIrelandIreland
Distribution policyDistributingAccumulating
Share class currencyUSDUSD
Number of holdings512505
Risk indicator (SRRI)4 / 74 / 7
SFDR classification—Article 6
BenchmarkS&P 500 Net Total ReturnS&P 500 Index

Performance

Calendar-year returns

YearVUSACSPXDifference
2025+17.6%+17.6%0.0
2024+24.7%+24.7%0.0
2023+25.9%+25.9%0.0
2022−18.3%−18.3%0.0
2021+28.4%+28.4%0.0
2020+18.0%+18.0%0.0

Annualised returns

PeriodVUSACSPXDifference
1 year+15.5%+15.3%+0.2
3 years+22.6%+22.7%−0.1
5 years+13.5%+13.3%+0.2
10 years+15.0%+15.0%0.0
Returns as published by each fund house, in each share class's currency and net of the fund's charges. The difference is in percentage points. Past performance does not predict future returns.

Holdings

8 of the holdings published by VUSA (top 10) and CSPX (top 10) appear in both lists; measured on those published positions only, the overlap is at least 35.9%. Shared holdings include NVIDIA Corp., Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc..

Top 10 holdings of VUSA

#HoldingWeight
1
NVIDIA Corp.In both
8.10%
2
Apple Inc.In both
7.00%
3
Microsoft Corp.In both
5.70%
4
Alphabet Inc.In both
5.40%
5
Amazon.com Inc.In both
3.80%
6
Broadcom Inc.In both
2.70%
7
Meta Platforms Inc.In both
1.90%
8
Micron Technology Inc.In both
1.60%
9
Tesla Inc.
1.60%
10
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
1.40%

Top 10 holdings of CSPX

#HoldingWeight
1
NVIDIAIn both
8.44%
2
APPLEIn both
7.28%
3
MICROSOFTIn both
5.75%
4
AMAZON.COM INCIn both
3.68%
5
ALPHABET CLASS AIn both
3.00%
6
BROADCOM INCIn both
2.47%
7
META PLATFORMS CLASS AIn both
2.42%
8
ALPHABET CLASS CIn both
2.41%
9
MICRON TECHNOLOGYIn both
1.87%
10
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES
1.52%
Compare every published holding of VUSA and CSPX in the overlap checker

Sectors and countries

Largest sectors of VUSA

  1. Information Technology37.9%
  2. Financials12.3%
  3. Communication Services9.5%
  4. Health Care9.3%
  5. Consumer Discretionary9.1%
  6. Industrials8.3%
+ 4 more

Largest sectors of CSPX

  1. Information Technology40.0%
  2. Financials11.3%
  3. Communication9.8%
  4. Health Care9.0%
  5. Consumer Discretionary8.6%
  6. Industrials8.1%
+ 4 more

Largest countries of VUSA

  1. United States99.9%
  2. United Kingdom0.1%

Largest countries of CSPX

  1. United States99.9%

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between VUSA and CSPX?

VUSA (Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing, IE00B3XXRP09) and CSPX (iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF, IE00B5BMR087) both track the S&P 500 index. VUSA and CSPX have the same total expense ratio (TER), 0.07% a year. CSPX reinvests its income (accumulating), while VUSA pays it out (distributing). VUSA and CSPX both hold the index securities directly (physical replication). Both are domiciled in Ireland. This is a factual comparison from the fund houses' documents, not investment advice.

Which is cheaper, VUSA or CSPX?

VUSA and CSPX have the same total expense ratio (TER), 0.07% a year. Their key information documents state ongoing charges of 0.07% for VUSA and 0.07% for CSPX.

Which is bigger, VUSA or CSPX?

CSPX is the larger fund, with USD 159.1bn in assets against USD 88.97bn for VUSA, about 1.8 times the size.

Do VUSA and CSPX hold the same companies?

8 of the holdings published by VUSA (top 10) and CSPX (top 10) appear in both lists; measured on those published positions only, the overlap is at least 35.9%. Shared holdings include NVIDIA Corp., Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc..

How did VUSA and CSPX perform in 2025?

In 2025, VUSA and CSPX both returned +17.6%. Over 10 years, VUSA returned +15.0% a year and CSPX +15.0% a year. Over the past year, VUSA returned +15.5% and CSPX +15.3%. Past performance does not predict future returns.

Are VUSA and CSPX accumulating or distributing?

VUSA is distributing: it pays its income out to investors. CSPX is accumulating: it reinvests its income in the fund.

Go further

Other comparisons

Figures are read from the documents each fund house publishes (product page, factsheet, key information document, holdings file) and refreshed weekly. Names and tickers identify the products; FundFacts API is independent of every fund house and index provider. This comparison is factual information, not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell either fund.